søndag, 05 oktober 2014 00:00

Henry Audio USB DAC 128 mkII - Oppdatert med bilder av ny modell

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Den norske produsenten Henry Audio lanserer ny oppgradert versjon av sin USB DAC 128. Les om USB DAC 128 mkII.

Henry Audio holder til i Asker, og er en videreføring av selskapet QNKTC -  Quantization Noize Killed The Cat. Konstruktøren Børge Strand-Bergesen har fått mye positiv medieomtale for sin USB DAC 128, ikke minst på grunn av at god lyd har vært kombinert med lav pris. USB DAC 128 hadde en pris i Norge på beskjedne 1.200,-. Det er snakk om en ren USB-DAC, uten andre digitale innganger enn USB. Til gjengjeld har konstruktøren vært kresen med valg av USB-inngang, og det er valgt en asynkron USB-inngang der DACen selv har kontroll på klokka.

 

 

Den kommende oppgraderte utgaven har en kraftig forbedret strømforsyning, der det er flere- og bedre kapasitorer enn i utgående versjon. Ifølge Børge Strand-Bergesen er dette hovedårsaken til den forbedrede lyden i mkII, som ellers benytter DAC-chipet AKM4430 fra Asahi Kasai. Henry Audio USB DAC 128 mkII følger ellers Open Source prinsippet, som legger til rette for at spesielt interesserte nerder kan foreta oppgraderinger.

I følge Henry Audio gir mkII mer bass, varmere lydsignatur, mer romlig informasjon og hurtigere respons.

Vi regner med å komme tilbake med test av Henry Audio USB DAC 128 mkII, som får en pris på 2.100,- i Norge.

 

Bildet viser eksisterende modell nav USB DAC 128.

 

Les pressemeldingen fra Henry Audio v. Børge Strand-Bergesen:


Introducing the Henry Audio USB DAC 128 mkII, a Much Improved Digital-to-Analog Converter for High Resolution Audio

By Børge Strand-Bergesen

September 23, 2014

Hvalstad, Norway - Norwegian-based manufacturer Henry Audio is very proud to announce the arrival of the upgraded USB DAC 128 mkII. The new and improved DAC adds more punch and sonic clarity to the very well received USB DAC 128.

The USB DAC 128 mkII enables High Fidelity playback of music stored on a computer or streamed through one. It works with Hi-Res up to 192ksps on Windows, Linux and Mac. With it, the inferior analog output of the computer is completely bypassed. Paired with a Hi-Fi system or headphone amplifier, the USB DAC 128 mkII is unbeatable in terms of sonic quality bang-for-the-bucks.

The USB DAC 128 mkII from Henry Audio is a compact, elegant and robust DAC that brings superior audio performance to computers, significantly out-performing other stand-alone DACs currently in the market. Compared to its predecessor it brings more of everything. Independent reviewers say the mkII has

· More bass
· Warmer sound character
· Larger spatial information
· Faster response

The mkII also has improved mechanics, better RCA connectors and rubber feet.

Henry Audio is very excited about the new version, particularly because the model it replaces has collected its fair share of superlatives from the Hi-Fi press. BBC Music Magazine writes "The USB DAC 128 is top of its class".

Like its predecessors (including the QNKTC AB-1.2) the Henry Audio USB DAC 128 mkII stays true to its Open Source foundations in the Audio Widget project. The electronic schematics and source code for firmware and Windows ASIO driver remain open source and publicly available. The USB DAC 128 mkII is designed in such a way that tinkerers can easily modify it and learn from its construction. But regardless of its heritage, the USB DAC 128 mkII is a fully functional Hi-Fi component, and will work right out of the box. The vast majority of buyers have no intention - and absolutely no need - to ever modify the DAC.

The analog section of the DAC design puts equal focus on three areas with fundamental influence on audio quality. The AKM4430 DAC chip comes from Asahi Kasai, a company known for high quality converters. The clock is made from two precision crystal oscillators from Golledge. The power supply uses low-noise regulators from Analog Devices. The improved sound quality of the mkII is primarily achieved by the addition of more and better capacitors in the power supply.

Some, but not all of these can be retrofitted to the USB DAC 128.

The Henry Audio USB DAC 128 mkII uses an asynchronous USB protocol. This minimizes jitter errors and further improves on the sound quality by making the DAC the timing reference.

Asynchronous USB is available in both USB Audio Class 1 and 2.

Henry Audio is founded and operated by Børge Strand-Bergesen, a Norwegian national and an expert on electronics filter design, circuit board layout and design for manufacturing. He believes the circuit board design contributes greatly to the sound quality of the DAC. Critical analogue signals are kept on short tracks and away from the digital section. The board design has an obsessive focus on controlled return currents and builds on Strand-Bergesen's experience with radio frequency electronics and analog ASIC layout.

The name Henry Audio comes from the unit of inductance. Henry is also the given name of Børge Strand-Bergesen's maternal grandfather.

The USB DAC 128 mkII can be purchased online in various currencies. All shipments to EU

countries are sent from within the EU. Shipments to all other locations (including Norway) are sent from Norway.

www.henryaudio.com USD 270 International
www.henryaudio.de (in German) EUR 260 Inkl MwSt
www.henryaudio.co.uk GBP 210 Incl VAT
www.henryaudio.no NOK 2100 Inkl mva
www.henryaudio.se SEK 2400 Inkl mva
www.henryaudio.dk DKK 1950 Inkl moms
www.henryaudio.it EUR 260 IVA inclusa
www.henryaudio.es EUR 260 IVA incluido


Les mer om Henry Audio på nettsidene til produsenten.

 

 

 

Sist redigert søndag, 05 oktober 2014 16:48
Karl Erik Sylthe

Redaktør i Audiophile.no

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